royaume coeur: déteignant étoile
by KaidaPoi
Summary: Far from Sora's battle with the Heartless, another set of worlds deals with an enemy known as the Dépit. And their heroes? A rag-tag group of survivors with their own inner demons and a Keybearer who is not the picture of 'good'. Will they rise or fall?
1. The Summoner

**Author's Notes:** This story has been in my head for a good year or so now. Originally, it was going to be an RP. But, sad to say, we lost a couple of important players to real life and the deadly muse-killer. So...I decided to turn it into a fanfiction. Of massive proportions. Any original characters in here, I have permission from their owners to use. And some of the fanon involved with a few canon characters has been given the thumbs up by the people who came up with the exact details of said fanon-ness.

**Disclaimer:** -coughs- Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix. Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise and Sotsu and Bandai. xxxHolic is owned by CLAMP. Original characters belong to myself, LadyNyoko, novastrike, Isritial, and Grif Rainchild.

**royaume coeur: déteignant étoile**

**By KaidaPoi**

**Chapter One: The Summoner**

_Pain. There was nothing but pain and a sense of immeasureable loss. Her nerves were on fire, and even thinking hurt. And she was missing something. Gods, she was missing a very part of herself. Why couldn't the pain just stop? Why couldn't she just go back into the void of death..._

_Blue eyes. Deep blue eyes that held a spark she vaguely recognized in them..._

_**"Kaida."**__ Was the owner of the eyes speaking? No...no, the voice was familiar in a way the eyes were not. __**"KAIDA!"**_

A slim girl of about nineteen sat straight up in her bed, breathing heavily and shaking. It took a moment for her topaz blue eyes to focus, and she shook her head, running a hand through ash-blonde hair. Just a dream, a bad memory.

"You're going to be late if you keep that up." While most would have started at the voice, the young woman simply smiled slightly and looked to her right.

"Good morning to you as well, Zero." The owner of the voice that had woken her stood to the side of her bed, arms crossed and a frown on his face. There was annoyance clear in his nile blue eyes. A set of rather mechanical wings moved slightly behind him, reflecting the annoyance in his eyes.

"Kaida, you're going to be late." The girl snorted as she got out of bed and winced a little at the cold of the hardwood floor. She yawned and stretched, then proceeded to unbraid her mid back-length hair. Hm...the last few inches of it were still red. Hopefully it would finish fading soon.

"I'll be fine, Zero." She finished and stood up, trotting to go through her morning ritual. The winged man just sighed and rubbed a temple. Ten minutes later, Kaida gave a panicked yelp and came running out of the bathroom, tucking camo pants into her boots and groping for the jacket that was on the back of a folding chair. "Holyshitgonnabelate! UnewillKILLme!" Zero smirked, which earned him a glare from Kaida as she grabbed the jacket and finished making herself presentable before grabbing the sword belt and sheathed katana attached to it and securing it around her hips. "Don't say it, bastard. Let's go." She went out the door, locked it, and took off running, dodging a few other residents of the apartment complex.

Zero, the lucky bastard, just went right through them, not a single one noticing him. Kaida yelped as they reached the outside, throwing her arms over her head as she made a dash for the next set of cover in her path. It was raining heavily, more than a few people following Kaida's example or shielding themselves with raincoats or umbrellas. By the time the tan girl got to her destination, her jacket and pants were damp, and her hair was dripping.

She popped into a bathroom long enough to paper towel some of the moisture from her hair, then took off again, dodging more than a few people wearing the same style of jacket as her. A few of them looked amused, as if this wasn't an entirely new sight. She burst into a shared office to the phone on her desk ringing, and grabbed it just in time.

"Refugee Placement Office, Preventers, this is Private Moore."

"Moore, Miss Ichihara called for you five minutes ago. You need to be there in ten. Maybe this will encourage you to stop being late." The other side hung up and Kaida groaned, hanging her own phone up.

"Can't even let me dry off, can ya Une?" She sighed and grabbed the umbrella she kept stashed in her desk, waving pathetically to the man who had the other desk in the office. "Sorry Nichol. Apparently, Yuuko-sama wants me. And we all know it's best not to keep the Witch waiting." The man nodded in sympathy.

"See you when you get back." And Kaida was out the door again, grumbling. Near the entrance of the building, she bumped elbows with someone, turning enough to give them a quick 'sorry'. And made her way forward again. Odd...His eyes reminded her of something...

"You're late." Kaida cringed at the tone of voice the tall woman in front of her had. Yuuko Ichihara not only stood a good several inches over her, but had this way of making one feel very, very small if she was annoyed. Which she was, as was clearly reflected in her crimson eyes. Those eyes looked to the male beside Kaida. "I take it you told her she was going to be late, Wing Zero?" The man nodded, which made Yuuko sigh. "A spirit has better sense of time than you, Kaida! Now, come. Let's get you out of those wet clothes. It won't due to greet our guest like that."

Kaida followed after Yuuko, curious. "Guest? Another refugee?" Yuuko gave her a mysterious smile and motioned to the two girls sitting on the floor.

"You'll see. Maru, Moro, the dark green yukata with the dragon pattern please." The two girls took off, and Yuuko turned to Kaida, holding a pale hand out. "I'll keep hold of Mud while you're in the yukata. Now, go in that room to change. Wing Zero can wait in here. Be quick about it!" Kaida frowned, handing Yuuko the sword belt with her katana on it and moved into the room indicated, Maru and Moro practically bouncing in after her, a yukata in hand.

Several minutes later, the girl came out, drier and dressed in the yukata, looking a bit unsure. She hadn't been in a yukata in years, let alone one so NICE. "Are you sure just holding onto Mud is collateral enough for borrowing this?" Yuuko nodded.

"Yes. Now, let's go. Our guest will be arriving any moment." She started towards the entrance of the house, Kaida following behind, Zero following Kaida. The group stopped on the deck, below the eaves of the house to avoid the rain. All of a sudden, the rain seemed to shift and twist, a bulbous...something touching the ground and then bursting. Laying there on the ground was a young man, naked and pale skinned and covered in scars, shivering as the rain hit him. His hair was tousled and midnight-colored, steadily getting wetter. As Kaida and Yuuko braved the rain to approach him, he opened his eyes...eyes that were orange-amber and held something in them that told Kaida to RUN. But she didn't, instead kneeling down before him and holding a hand out.

"My name is Kaida Moore. Welcome to Refuge."


	2. The Reaper and the Seer

**Author's Notes:** This chapter is where we start seeing more canon characters, and more of the other OCs. Next chapter, more things will start getting explained, but this one introduces two characters who are going to be among the main group. Reviews are loved and appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** -coughs- Kingdom Hearts and The World Ends With You belong to Square Enix. Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise and Sotsu and Bandai. xxxHolic is owned by CLAMP. Original characters belong to myself, LadyNyoko, novastrike, Isritial, and Grif Rainchild.

**royaume coeur: déteignant étoile**

**By KaidaPoi**

**Chapter Two: The Reaper and the Seer**

He didn't want to be in another war. He'd been just happy running the scrapyard with Hilde, doing the occasional job for the Preventers when they needed his skills. But now...now, the world was no longer safe. And more refugees arrived every day. He frowned. That reminded him...he needed to check up on Kaida. He needed to get her back for the chalk dust he'd found in his face a couple of days ago when he opened his locker. He STILL couldn't figure out who she'd gotten to help her, since she couldn't go into the men's lockers. The cobalt-eyed nineteen year old sighed and stopped, stepping closer to the outer wall of a building so he wasn't blocking the sidewalk. At least it wasn't raining anymore. His little prank war and back-and-forth teasing with the odd girl was one of the things that was keeping him sane...Une probably knew it, too. Otherwise, the pranks he and Kaida played on each other wouldn't be allowed.

A commotion caught his attention, causing him to look up from his thoughts. He frowned and made his way over, nodding to a few people he recognized. A crowd had started gathering around a rather delicate-looking teenage girl, passed out in the middle of the sidewalk. From the way people were talking, she hadn't been there a moment before. Which meant she was a refugee. There was also something distinctly odd about her, even considering she wasn't from his world. He moved through the crowd, shooing people away as he looked the girl over. No obvious injuries, likely rather short (then again, most people were 'rather short' to him, since he stood at a good 6-foot and wasn't done growing), VERY delicate looking, dressed in an almost doll-like fashion with a messenger bag slung across her chest. She was pale, with ash brown hair to her shoulder blades, and clutched something to her chest like a lifeline. What surprised him most was the glint of gold at her throat...she wore a crucifix pendant on a gold chain.

As soon as he'd shooed the last gawker away, she startled awake, her voice holding a soft quality to it, despite the fear and panic lacing it.

"Masaharu!" The young man knelt down next to the girl, smiling apologetically.

"Nobody showed up here but you, babe. 'Fraid you lost your world, if you've showed up here." The girl looked to him with eyes that were so pale a gray that they were practically silver. There was panic in her eyes, more than had been in her voice.

"He's gone...I'm going to be Erased. Dear God..." He raised a brow, curious as to what the hell she was talking about. She didn't give any explanation...simply looked at what she'd been holding, surprised by it. She seemed to think for a moment...then looked to him, determination trying to oust the panic in her eyes. She grabbed one of his hands and pressed a circular metal something into it. "My name is Alais Kibou. Make a Pact with me." He looked at her funny.

"Whoa, lady! I don't know what drugs you're on but..." She shook her head.

"I wouldn't defile myself with such things. Please...you've got to make a Pact with me!" There was a pleading tone in her voice and a look in her eyes that made him sigh and nod.

"Alright. My name's Duo Maxwell. I'll make a Pact with you, Alais." The moment he finished speaking, a feeling washed over him, starting at the circular thing in his hand. It was a feeling of strength shared and amplified. As if sensing his confusion (or seeing it on his face), the girl giggled.

"We're connected now, you and I. Until I can find a way to get Masaharu back." She moved to stand, dusting herself off. "Take good care of the pin. It belongs to someone very dear to me. I...I owe you. I would have been Erased if you hadn't taken Masaharu's place in the Pact." Duo was a little dumbfounded, staring at the object in his hand. It was a black pin, the sort that usually had witty phrases on it. Except there was no phrase on it; only a graffiti-style white skull symbol.

"Right...mind explaining that stuff to me? You're talking Latin at me." For someone who had lost their world, she seemed awfully calm...Her smile didn't help.

"I'm dead. Where I'm from, some people get a chance to play a game, the Reaper's Game, in order to get a second chance at life. My friend Masaharu and I were playing. When you lose your partner, you have only a few minutes before you're Erased yourself. You saved me from that happening. Which means I have a chance to figure things out." Duo was still a little dumbfounded...but nodded. Well...it wasn't often you came across someone with a cool head about loosing their world. But she had one.

"Come on...I'll take you to someone who can explain the refugee thing better to you and make sure you get someplace to stay." He pulled a cell phone out, as he started leading her elsewhere. "Hey, Nichol. Is Kaida in? Yuuko's? Mmkay. Thanks!" He hung up and changed direction. Alais kept a steady pace just a little behind him the entire way to Yuuko Ichihara's shop. Duo led her in, and saw her shiver slightly as they went through the gate. He smiled reassuringly at her, then made for Yuuko's sitting room. "Yuuko! I brought someone Kaida needs to talk to!"

"I've seen this place..." She looked around in awe, and Duo had a feeling she wasn't talking about seeing it in real life. He looked into the sitting room, and was surprised. Kaida and Yuuko weren't alone. A young man only a couple of inches taller than Kaida sat at the table with them, his orange-amber eyes now on he and Alais. Everything about him screamed of a fighter, from the scars littering the pale skin that wasn't covered by a deep blue yukata to the hard look in the eyes. Yuuko smiled slightly and beckoned the two in.

"And thus two more of our players show up. Sit." Alais looked Yuuko over...then nodded and took a seat beside the young man. Duo saw the guy stiffen and scoot over an inch or two. Alais didn't seem to notice. Duo himself sat next to Kaida, giving her a grin.

"I brought you a new refugee, after Yuuko's done talking." Kaida nodded, and turned her attention back to Yuuko. Duo followed suite.


	3. The Key

**Author's Notes:** Some of the terms you'll see in this next chapter will be very unfamiliar to you. They'll rarely show up again, and when they do, they'll be explained, as other characters go 'Uh...what?'. But otherwise...yay for information in this chapter! 8] Reviews are loved and appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** -coughs- Kingdom Hearts and The World Ends With You belong to Square Enix. Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise and Sotsu and Bandai. xxxHolic is owned by CLAMP. Shadows of Africa belongs to Winterfalcon and Mila Farrel of Gaia Online. The Lion King belongs to Disney. Original characters belong to myself, LadyNyoko, novastrike, Isritial, and Grif Rainchild.

**royaume coeur: déteignant étoile**

**By KaidaPoi**

**Chapter Three: The Key**

He'd failed. As a Tarenai, he had failed his pride. The shadow-creatures had overrun them all, despite the fact the Aikanaro'hini was full of fighters. He'd returned from his self-imposed exile too late, and his pride had fallen. Even his mother and father. He'd seen them go under fighting.

And now there was nothing but darkness. His tail had gone numb long ago, and everything else felt STRANGE. His ears weren't right, his paws weren't right, and it felt like his very fur was melting away. Suddenly, the darkness became wet, and then just...broke. He was lying on grass, his sensitive nose and ears assaulted by strange scents and sounds, and rain pounded against his bare skin. Skin? He hadn't had a bare patch of skin save for his scars in seasons! He shivered as he realized it was cold. Two odd, almost ape-like scents approached him, and he opened his eyes ready to fend off the intruders to his space.

The shorter of the two knelt down just out of striking range and held her hand out. "My name is Kaida Moore. Welcome to Refuge." He frowned, and if he'd had fur still, his hackles would have been raised. As it was, he rolled onto his belly and pushed himself onto his...paws? His front paws were strange, looking more like an ape's. And his front legs were shorter than his back, causing him to wobble as he tried figuring out how to rectify the problem. The taller of the two moved over to him, and helped him to stand on his back legs before moving away quickly. The female was lucky...he'd been about to lash out at her. She had no right to touch him!

However, standing like they did was...awkward. He was so used to having four paws to walk on, perfectly balanced and perfectly smart. He wobbled a bit again then steadied himself. He needed to get used to this. Quick. He looked to the female who had helped him stand. She had a look on her face that was both...serious and sympathetic.

"For you to arrive as you have, you must have lost everything." She looked back towards the...odd structure behind her, where two young females waited out of the rain. "Maru, Moro, bring another yukata out. Nothing girly." The two ran into the structure. The young man frowned.

"Who are you?" The words were natural on his tongue...but sounded strange in his ears. They weren't in his natural language. The woman motioned for him to follow her, out of the pouring rain. He did as motioned, simply to avoid becoming even wetter. Already the fur left on top of his head was drenched and his bare skin slicked with water. The shorter of the two females followed after him, conversing quietly with something he could not see. Did she have a demon as well? The taller female looked to him again once they were out of the rain.

"I am Yuuko Ichihara, owner of this shop." She motioned to the structure they'd taken shelter in. "I am known by many as the Time-Space Witch, and I am a granter of wishes." He snorted.

"Then I wish to go home." She sighed and shook her head.

"That is a wish I cannot grant. As I said...you had to have lost everything to end up here. That includes your world." He turned his gaze away from her, growling slightly. He did not need the sympathy in her voice or eyes.

"The best we can do is try to make you comfortable here." The shorter female, Kaida, had spoken. There was no sympathy in her voice...but there was understanding of a sort. "I lost my world too." The two young ones came over to them, carrying an odd pelt with them. At least the color was nice...the same midnight-blue his fur had been. Yuuko smiled slightly.

"If you'd let Maru and Moro help you put it on, it will go faster. Then we can sit and talk. There is much we must discuss, Nyota'angavu." He started as the two younglings began helping him put the false pelt on. He'd never said his name. Was she like the Ele'aine and Ele'aina of the pride, able to See things? Kaida seemed used to it, and smiled slightly at him.

"Yuuko tends to just know things. It's best not to think about how she does." Once he was wrapped in the fake pelt, he was led into another part of the structure...a 'shop', Yuuko had called it. Kaida showed him how to sit in his current form, and Yuuko sat as well, though in a different fashion. Nyota was on edge, uncertain and on guard. For all he knew, this was all some elaborate trap. He looked towards the entrance of the area as a loud, male voice called out. Soon after, he heard a quiet female voice, and the owners of the voices looked into the area. He narrowed his eyes at the male with deep brown head-fur that was far too long. He moved like a Qateth. And the girl next to him...there was something very strange in her nearly-silver eyes, despite the fact she looked like he could break her.

"And thus two more of our players show up. Sit." Yuuko's voice held both amusement and a commanding tone to it. The two newcomers did as told, the delicate looking female taking a seat next to Nyota and the tall male sitting next to Kaida. Nyota scoot a bit away from the delicate female, feeling very uncomfortable around her. She looked to him a few seconds, a little offended, then looked back to Yuuko. "I am Yuuko Ichihara. The four of you are Kaida Moore, Duo Maxwell, Nyota'angavu, and Alais Kibou." She nodded to each in turn. The delicate female seemed startled Yuuko knew her name. Nyota couldn't help but smirk. Nice to know he wasn't alone. "Kaida, will you explain the situation to the newcomers?" Nyota saw pain flicker in Kaida's eyes, but she nodded.

"Of course." She took a deep breath. "Almost a year ago, worlds started getting attacked by creatures called Dépit. No one is entirely sure what they are, but they are deadly and have destroyed more than a few worlds. For some reason, this world has attracted the survivors of the various worlds, and has become a refuge for them...thus the name we call it. About six months ago, the Dépit started attacking this world too. Not in the numbers they'd send to other worlds. It's more like they're testing this place...looking for something." Yuuko took over.

"There is a way to turn the tide of this war. Right now, as it stands, it is only a matter of time before this world falls as well. However, there is a weapon that resides within a rather...unique individual. You could call this weapon-" 

"A key." Alais had spoken, her eyes wide. "I've dreamt this. And about the key. A bright light within a darkness." Nyota scoot a little further from her. So she was a seer. Seers always put him a little on edge, despite his respect for them. He didn't like others prying into his past or future. Yuuko laughed, nodding.

"Quite right. And the one who holds this key...is Nyota'angavu." THAT caused Nyota to just stare at the tall female.

"I what?" If this was a joke, he was most certainly NOT amused.


End file.
